So technology also enters the home lock

The growing adoption of smart home solutions has led to a significant increase in the popularity of smart locks, devices that offer greater security and convenience for home access. According to predictions by Fortune Business Insights analysts, the specific market will reach a value of almost USD 12 billion by 2032 globally. This is thanks to established brands such as Yale and Nuki, and others that have expanded their portfolios to include smart access solutions. Among the various types available, one has to choose those for European cylinders, by now the standard in our country, with the opportunity to rely on the online configurators of each company to verify actual compatibility.

Performance, reliability and value for money. A preferred choice in the smart lock segment is Yale. The Smart Lock Linus L2 (€229) doubles the speed of execution compared to the previous model and has unique advantages, such as a timer for opening and closing, and a convenient adapter for those with a knob instead of the classic handle. Yale's app is as intuitive as it gets: a real-time activity feed shows notifications about access, and you can even share virtual keys with family and friends. The leap into the future is completed with the fingerprint-enabled keypad, something to make any sci-fi film work envious. With Wi-Fi support (its bigger brother did not have it), one can add the lock to one's plethora of smart home gadgets, to be opened by voice assistants and smartphones. In addition to functional improvements, Yale has made the Linus L2 to be more sustainable, from manufacturing to battery life, which now promises up to six months of autonomy.

Lock Ultra is Nuki's top of the range, with a decidedly elegant and functional design. At its heart is the 'brushless' motor, i.e. quieter and faster, with different operating options depending on requirements. Unlike the recent Lock Pro, here it is necessary to replace the existing cylinder to allow, from the outside, the continued use of a physical key, the one supplied in the package, in the event of inability to manage smart access or simply for those who want to continue to enter and exit the home using the traditional method. A nice new feature is the support of the Matter communication standard, which guarantees control of the lock with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant, even via voice commands. There is also a plus, the keypad to be placed outside the entrance to leave the keys out of your life for good. The cons? A price not within everyone's reach (EUR 349) and limited compatibility.

The Ezviz DL01 Pro (EUR 239.90) emerges as a retrofit solution that fuses aesthetics and technology, without compromising the elegance of the home entrance. Its installation does not require any permanent changes and the metal construction not only gives it considerable robustness, but also enhances its design. Peculiar is the 'privacy' mode, with which digital access is blocked, enabling only key-operated access. A way of not waking anyone up when opening with the motor, which, despite today's improvements, is still noisier than manual unlocking. Its security is further enhanced by the automatic locking function, which intervenes in the event of forgetfulness. When connected to a keypad or home gateway, it offers additional security through multiple unlocking methods and remote control functions.

A true outsider. Emerging as a cheap alternative to the industry giants, the SwitchBot Lock Pro is certainly not pretty to look at, but it solves the complications of all rivals in one fell swoop. Two screws, a sticker, even an adapter for non-European cylinders, and that's it: you install the lock on top of your own and pair it with the Android or iOS app. Without a third-party adapter it doesn't support Matter and the batteries aren't great. But at this price (179 euro online) you really can't ask for more.